Boxes of documents sit in the office of Gaines Township Supervisor Chuck Melki. The documents were missing for a week before being returned to the office.File Photo

GAINES TOWNSHIP, MI -- Gaines Township will hold a
special meeting to address accusations that township Clerk Michael Dowler admitted
to stealing official documents from the office of newly-elected Supervisor
Chuck Melki.

The township board was scheduled to hold a public
official misconduct hearing during the board's Wednesday, June 5, meeting but
Dowler failed to show-up.

Township Treasurer Diane Hyrman said that Dowler told her that he would be unable to attend the meeting.

Dowler could not be reached for comment.

Controversy erupted after Melki was elected in November
2012 and found that the filing cabinets and drawers in the supervisor's office
were all empty.

After a supporter threatened to file a police report,
reams of paperwork filling five recycling bins showed up at Melki's office days later with no explanation on who brought them back.

However, nobody stepped up to take responsibility for
removing or returning the documents until May 2013 when Dowler allegedly came
clean to fellow board members during a May 10 policy workshop.

Deputy Township Supervisor Sherry Johnson, who lost to
Dowler during November's general election and was in attendance at the May
policy meeting, said that Dowler addressed the board, saying that he removed
the documents from the office because he was upset with Melki's win in November's
election.

The minutes from the May 10 meeting, which were compiled
by Dowler, made no mention of any address made by him to the board.

MLive-Flint Journal has been unable to reach Dowler for comment on those claims.

In November, Dowler said he was surprised to find out
that there were no documents in the supervisor's office, but he said he didn't
have any idea who took them out or who put them back.

"I don't think there was anything real important that was
gone," Dowler said. "The clerk was the keeper of the records. All of the
important township records were here."

Melki won the Nov. 6 election by 29 votes, defeating
former Supervisor Paul Fortino -- who said he left the office vacuumed, dusted
and full of paperwork when he left on Nov. 19 after 10 years in office.

The board sought to hold the hearing Wednesday night but
agreed to table to meeting after attorney Colin A. Linsenman, who was filling in
for regular township attorney Michael Gildner, said that the board should wait
on the meeting in order to give Dowler a chance to be in attendance to answer
to the allegations.

A special meeting will be held at 7 p.m. June 19 to
discuss the accusations.

However, the delay was not acceptable to some members of
the public at the meeting.

"... You don't put the weasel back in the hen house and that's
what you're doing," resident William Eplett said of the delay.

Linsenman said even if the board finds culpable Dowler of some
sort of wrongdoing they will have no power to remove him from office.

"This is a very bad situation," said Melki. "This is a
catastrophe."

Melki said that he has filed a report with the Michigan
State Police over the incident.

Michigan State Police Lt. Brian Cole said there
is no ongoing investigation into the missing documents. No criminal charges
have been filed against Dowler.

Johnson said the police report was filed to protect
Melki, who, by resolution, takes responsibility for all of the township's
records while acting as supervisor.

"We needed an official record as to why the records were
gone," said Johnson.

However, Fortino, who was at Wednesday's meeting, said
that Dowler is charged with maintaining the township's files and the documents
that were in Melki's office were mostly duplicates.

"Mr. Dowler is a straight, forthright person," Fortino
said.

The meeting ended with a brief heated exchange between
Fortino and Melki after Melki told the public in attendance at the meeting that
Fortino was not telling the truth.